Mass Abduction in Niger State
On Friday, gunmen abducted 315 children from St Mary's School, a Catholic institution in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria. Reports indicate that 12 teachers were also taken during the incident.
Between Friday and Saturday, 50 of the abducted children managed to escape. The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that these children have since been reunited with their families.
A substantial military-led search and rescue operation is currently underway to locate the remaining 265 children and 12 teachers.
Official Responses and Security Measures
Pope Leo XIV released a statement expressing sorrow regarding the abductions and urged authorities to act promptly for the release of those taken.
Following the incident, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bongo announced on Saturday that all schools in the region would close.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed scheduled foreign trips, including attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa, to address the escalating security concerns within the country.
Authorities in several Nigerian states, including Kebbi, Niger, Katsina, Yobe, and Kwara, have ordered school closures in response to the recent abductions. St Mary's School reportedly operated its boarding facilities despite an earlier directive to close them due to intelligence warnings of heightened attack risks; the school has not issued a statement regarding this claim.
Recent Security Incidents
The abduction at St Mary's School is one of several recent security incidents in Nigeria:
- On Monday, approximately 20 students were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi State.
- Further south in Kwara State, an attack on a church resulted in two fatalities and the abduction of 38 individuals.
Context of Kidnapping in Nigeria
The abduction of individuals for ransom by criminal groups, referred to locally as "bandits," constitutes a significant security challenge across many parts of Nigeria. A law outlawing the payment of ransoms was enacted to disrupt the funding of these groups, but its effectiveness has been limited.
The current abduction surpasses the 276 individuals taken during the Chibok school abduction in 2014. In that incident, many have since escaped or been freed, but around 100 remain unaccounted for.
International and Political Discourse
Claims have been made by certain right-wing figures in the United States, including former President Donald Trump, asserting that Christians are being systematically persecuted in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has refuted these claims, stating that such assertions represent a "gross misrepresentation of reality." An official communique clarified that "terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike."
Analysts suggest that conflicts between herders, who are predominantly Muslim, and farmers, who are largely Christian, in central Nigeria are primarily driven by competition for resources such as land and water, rather than religious differences. In the northeastern regions, jihadist groups have been engaged in conflict with the state for over a decade, with most victims identified as Muslim due to the majority-Muslim population in the affected areas.